Mezquita de Cordoba

If you are staying in Seville or Madrid and have some extra time, I highly a day trip to Cordoba. The city center is condensed, making it easy to have a taste of the city in a really short time. The highlight of Cordoba is la Mezquita (the mosque), an iconic moorish architecture wonder built under the rule of Islam in Spain. The centre of the mosque was converted into a Catholic cathedral and the mix of the two cultures and architectures is very intriguing.

Cost: 10 Eur per person

Before accessing the mosque you can explore the beautiful patios around. The most famous one is the patio of oranges, with its orange trees and fountains that provide a nice fresh break in the summer. It also looks like a set from Dorne in Game of thrones (which was shot in Seville).

Once you enter the mosque you can immediately spot the iconic white and red arcades. The lighting in this part is magical and constrasts beautifully with the arch shapes of the columns. It’s mostly dark with skylights here and there. However, the most interesting part of the Mezquita is where the cathedral and the mosque meet. Seeing the subtle elegance of the Moorish styles next to the Gothic and Baroque architecture is somewhat of a surreal experience.

The iconic arcades

Magical lighting

Moorish meets Baroque

A surreal experience…

If my Spanish is not mistaken… those are the names of all the workers that contributed to the mosque construction written in Arabic

Beautiful chapels of the cathedral

Patios of Córdoba

The best time to visit Cordoba is in May. It aligns in May, with the Festival of the Patios, where all the residents decorate their amazing courtyards and open them for a public contest.

Streets of Cordoba

With the most important site crossed off of the itinerary, it’s time to walk the streets of Cordoba. The best way to explore Córdoba is by foot or on a segway. All the centers of interests are condensed in the same area. The architecture is typically Andalusian with small touches left from the Arab era. Some houses look more like riads from Morocco.

Beautiful streets

Vintage ads

Outside la mezquita

Now it’s time for a lunch break and a coffee before hitting the road again…

Paella in the Jewish quarter, I don’t remember the restaurant name we chose it randomly. There are countless of similar patio restaurants in the area.

xo xo Dalal
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